Senator Wiener Responds to Governor Newsom’s Comments on Transgender Women in Sports

SACRAMENTO –  Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) issued the following statement in response to Governor Gavin Newsom’s remarks about transgender people’s participation in sports:

“This week, Democrats in the U.S. Senate took a courageous vote against a bill to ban trans athletes, some at great political peril. 

“They saw through the right wing bigotry: A movement & President that don’t give a damn about women’s sports — Trump has taken executive action harming women collegiate athletes — & that instead simply want to eliminate trans people from all aspects of public life. 

“These Democratic Senators stood with trans people against this hate, understanding the extreme danger that trans people are facing in this country at this moment in time. And they did so when it was politically hard. An important aspect of civil rights is standing with marginalized & demonized groups even when it’s hard. Even when it’s unpopular. Even when you’re smeared for it. Even when doing so may lead to despicable attack ads. 

“The Governor has had many courageous moments over the decades supporting LGBTQ people, including helping turbo-charge the marriage equality movement, protecting LGBTQ kids against forced outing and criminalization, and protecting trans people from criminalization in other states. He has taken significant political hits for doing so. I and so many will be forever grateful for that courage. 

“This is not one of those moments. Charlie Kirk is a vile bigot, and standing with him on this issue is profoundly disturbing. 

“The Republican strategy to eliminate trans people is to create fake moral panics — to falsely paint trans people as threats. They’ve made a huge issue out of gender-affirming care for trans kids when the vast majority of trans kids don’t receive that care. They’re painting trans people who use restrooms or who are incarcerated as predators. 

“And they’re painting trans young people who play sports as a threat to women’s sports, which they are not. Of 510,000 NCAA athletes, fewer than 10 are trans. Fewer than 10. 

“Republicans have declared a culture war against trans people — who are 1% of the population — because after they lost on marriage equality in 2015, they did focus groups and learned that targeting and demonizing trans people was a viable political strategy: The next way to destroy LGBTQ people after their decades of ballot measures and laws to ban gay marriage and adoption were no longer viable. 

“Trans people are just trying to live their lives. They’re facing a level of political hostility that leads to violence and homelessness. They need their allies to stand with them — especially when it’s hard.”

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